AMAZON is offering new employees a signing on bonus of up to £1,000 in order to get new staff through the door - including at a site in South Wales.

The move is the latest sign of a recruitment and staff shortage in the UK’s supply chains, as other firms have also been forced to increase wages or offer similar incentives. 

Tesco recently offered a £1,000 joining bonus fee to lorry drivers amid staffing pressures on UK supermarkets.

‘Urgently needed’

Amazon has advertised a variety of roles through the Indeed job marketplace site for warehouse workers all over the country, saying new staff are “urgently needed”.

The ads claim that the company will offer bonuses to anyone who is taken on between now and September 18, with jobs available at sites in Darlington, Swansea, Dartford, Redditch and Coventry, among others.

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The roles offer an hourly rate of up to £11.10, with the potential for double that rate for overtime, although it is not clear how often this is available.

The firm says it is open to “immediate starts with no experience needed” for many of the roles.

Many firms are facing worker shortages, and Amazon is struggling to cope with the increased demand for online shopping taken alongside these supply-chain issues worsened by a lack of HGV drivers.

Tesco has offered increased rates to HGV drivers at one of its branches, though drivers for the company are considering strike action as other branches have not seen an equivalent raise.

While there are broader trends impacting staffing in many parts of the economy, Amazon also sees a particularly high turnover of staff, with some blaming a harsh working environment.

Supply chain issues

Some sectors have been experiencing difficulties for several months, however the issue seems to have become particularly acute in recent weeks.

A number of retailers have announced shortages of goods, while many industry bodies have warned that the supply chain crisis could persist until Christmas.

The bosses of Tesco and Iceland have both warned of big shortages, while the British Meat Processors Association warned that labour shortages could lead to a shortage of pigs in blankets over the holidays.